The unique taste of Singapore Sling is hard to confuse with other cocktails. It perfectly combines the bitterness of juniper, the tartness of cherry pits, the grassy base of liqueurs and the freshness of the juice. The cocktail is considered a national treasure of the country.
Sling is a mixture of strong alcohol (often gin), sugar and water. Most slings have a peculiar taste and are not popular nowadays. But the Singaporean version turned out to be so successful that it has not gone out of fashion for more than 100 years. The secret is in the ingredients.
Classic Singapore Sling Recipe
Composition and proportions:
- gin – 30 ml;
- cherry liqueur – 15 ml;
- pineapple juice – 120 ml;
- lime juice – 15 ml;
- Benedictine liqueur – 10 ml;
- Cointreau liqueur – 10 ml;
- grenadine (pomegranate syrup) – 10 ml;
- beater Angostura – 2-3 drops.
Preparation
1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds.
3. Pour the contents of the shaker into a glass, filtering the ice with a strainer (strainer).
To soften the bitterness of gin, you can add 30-50 ml of soda or tonic (do not shake in a shaker, but simply pour on top), then gently mix with a spoon.
4. Garnish the finished cocktail with a slice of pineapple, a cherry or a sprig of mint.
5. Serve with a straw.
Historical information
The Singapore Sling recipe was invented in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon, who worked at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. According to legend, a young officer asked Boone to treat his girlfriend to a delicious new drink that would win her heart. The bartender took a chance to submit his creation and did not lose.
The guests liked the cocktail so much that it soon became a local landmark and a national treasure of the country. In the 30s, the classic drink recipe was lost. It had to be restored according to the memories and records of former bartenders. According to another version, the recipe of the Raffles Hotel is one of the variations of an earlier cocktail called the Singapore Strait Sling.
In the 70s, Boone’s nephew significantly modified the recipe and began to cook the “Singapore Sling” automatically. A special bar machine measures the ingredients in strict proportions, then mixes them for the allotted time so that a characteristic foam appears. There are so many who want to try the drink that if it were not for automation, the hotel would have to hire a whole staff of bartenders.
